I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Chicken Coop Pictures from Sandpoint, Idaho

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosureBy Mavis Butterfield on January 19, 2014 · 1 Comment

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!

Check out these chicken coop photos an story Holly from Sandpoint, Idaho sent in:

Hi Mavis!

I’ve been enjoying all the photos of chicken coops that are being sent to you. Wow and amazing. What fun to see how everyone takes care of their girls!

I’ve been a reader of your blog for a year and live near Sandpoint, Idaho………yeah, snow country…….and when we decided to get chickens last Spring we thought we knew everything…..haha….but soon found out we didn’t. We have two Rhode Island Reds, two Barred Rocks, two Golden Sex Links and one Araucana {yay for blue-green eggs!}

We ordered a pre-made coop and run on the internet. Found out later it was made in China and totally uninsulated. Yep. Pretty darn cute……but all looks and no substance. It was fine until the weather turned cold in the Fall and our seven girls got bigger.

The temps in the coop got pretty darn cold at night……and the girls were cramped. Don’t ever take as gospel what the coop manufacturers say as far as how many chickens a coop will handle.

My HH decided around October that this cutesy coop would not work through our winters here. We quickly came up with a simple shed roof coop plan of our own with windows (hey, happy hens gotta look out!) so it would look cute on the edge of my garden. He built it in record time before the first snowfall. We have a friend who now calls it the Ritz. Funny.

The new insulated coop is just 6 x 8. But it’s warm and keeps them happy. We have plans to build an enclosed run when the snow and ice melt. For now the girls seem to be content…..except I’m not when they hop their fence into my garden! Even with the snow they love to peck at my growing garlic. We need to put up a wire on the fence so they can’t jump over……it seems like there are always more to-dos with chickens!!!!!

This long-term Arizona girl {me} is having an interesting time with snow and cold and chickens……….but it’s all so do-able. Not always fun but do-able. They’re happy…..and if they’re happy then I’m happy.

I started a blog last year …..www.dirtanddenim.com ……..to chronicle our garden and chicken adventures here in snow country.

I totally enjoy your blog and humor and pics and Lucy. Keep up the good work!

Holly

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so, show me some picture of how you are going about it.

Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.

Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.

Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.

Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.